Comparative analysis of the interleukin-28b gene alleles in patients with hepatitis C monoinfection and combined HIV/hepatitis C infection

Abstract

Aim. To identify the frequency and to perform the comparative analysis of IL-28B genotypes distribution in patients with hepatitis C (HCV) mono-infection and combined HIV/HCV infection. Methods. 101 patients (65% - males, average age 33.85±0.62 years) were included in the study. The first group (n=58) - patients with HCV mono-infection, second (n=43) - patients with combined HIV/HCV infection. Single nucleotides polymorphism at rs8099917 and rs12979860 locuses of IL-28B gene was performed using the «AmpliSens Genoscreen-IL28V-FL» reagent kit in the viral hepatitis laboratory of the molecular diagnostics department, CSRIE, Moscow. The baseline activity of HCV infection was determined by RNA-HCV viral load >400 000 copies/mL and alanine aminotransferase level (ALT). In the first group high RNA-HCV viral load (>400 000 copies/mL) was observed in 30 (51.7%) patients, mean ALT level was 72.79±9.85 U/L; in the second group high HCV-RNA viral load was detected in 35 (81.4%) patients, mean ALT level was 85.46±7.73 U/L. In the group with combined infection 26 (60.5%) of patients received antiretroviral therapy (ART); in 14 (53.8%) of them there was no detectable viral load. The median absolute number of CD4+ lymphocytes was 0.400±0.04 cells/μL, median percentage - 25.41%±2.41. In 17 (39.5%) treatment-naïve patients the viral load was low (<10 000 copies/mL), in 11 (64.8%) of these patients mean CD4+ count was 0.470±0.04 cells/μL (25.33%±2.15); the term of HIV antibodies detection was 6.89±0.53 years. The sensitivity of the PCR method for the qualitative detection of HCV-RNA was 111.1 copies/mL, quantitative - 275 copies/mL, for HIV-RNA - 150 copies/mL. Results. In patients with HCV mono-infection the rate of unfavorable IL-28B CT and TT rs12979860 genotypes and ТG and GG rs8099917 genotypes was 45 (77.6%) и 26 (44.8%) correspondingly, favorable СС rs12979860 and ТТ rs8099917 genotypes were registered in 13 (22.4%) and 32 (55.1%) patients correspondingly. In patients with HIV/HCV infection (n=43) unfavorable IL-28B CT and TT rs12979860 genotypes and ТG and GG rs8099917 genotypes were detected in 20 (46.5%) и 13 (30.2%) of cases, and favorable СС rs12979860 and ТТ rs8099917 genotypes - in 23 (53.5%) and 30 (69.8%) of cases correspondingly. Conclusion. Results show that favorable CC rs12979860 and TT rs8099917 genotypes of the IL-28B and their combination are found quite frequently in patients with mixed HCV/HIV infection, particularly in patients with HCV genotype 3, these patients also had more significant inflammatory reaction and high HCV RNA viral load compared to HCV mono-infected patients.

Keywords

HCV-infection / HIV / gene polymorphism / interleukin-28B (IL-28B)

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RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Fazylov V.K., Manapova E.R., Tkacheva S.V., Yakupova F.M., Beshimov A.T.